"Leave the policy matters to me. I know quite a few officials. As long as they're well-fed, forget charging stations—they'd even sell their conscience if asked."
Lex Luthor waved his hand.
"Perhaps our next models could be hybrid. That would help us capture more of the traditional fuel car market. Also, while the current data is sufficient, our range and top speed still fall far short of gasoline cars. We need to improve on that."
Qingshui added from the side.
Just as the three were talking, Victor's tablet screen suddenly glitched, then letters began flashing rapidly.
"You… are… not… alone…"
"You… are… not… a…"
…
"A hacker got into our company's intranet? I checked the firewall Cisco designed for us. There are very few individuals or organizations in the world capable of breaching it."
Lex Luthor frowned.
"It's not the company intranet's firewall…"
Qingshui vaguely felt this scene was familiar and pulled out his phone.
The same image was on his screen, only the sound was muted.
Lex Luthor and Victor Fries exchanged a look and took out their phones as well.
Sure enough, it was the same.
"My name is Zod. I come from a distant planet. I have crossed the vast universe and found you in this remote part of the galaxy.
You have harbored one of my people, even though, for some reason, he concealed his identity from you and tried his best to integrate. But even if you look similar, you are of different races. I demand that you hand him over within twenty-four hours.
Kal-El, the fate of this planet is in your hands. Or, you can choose for all life on this planet to bear the consequences for you."
The communication ended, and the phone returned to its normal wallpaper.
"Aliens, and more than one."
Lex Luthor's expression was calm, his eyes gleaming.
"What do we do now? What if the aliens actually attack?"
Victor pushed up his glasses.
"I don't trust aliens, neither the one that hacked our network nor the one hiding on Earth."
Lex Luthor looked at Qingshui.
"What about you?"
"Humanity's written historical records begin with the Sumerian King List, written three thousand nine hundred years ago. All history since then has proven that entrusting one's fate to others is not a wise choice."
Qingshui said, frowning.
Kryptonians…
They're not easy to deal with.
If Zod still intends to annihilate life on Earth and transform it into a second Krypton, then anyone living on this planet is inherently his enemy.
While Qingshui hoped Superman could handle this, this matter concerned everyone living on Earth, and he couldn't just sit idly by.
And Lex Luthor thought the same as Qingshui.
"We absolutely cannot sit by and do nothing about this. Humanity needs enough strength to regain some initiative."
Luthor looked at Qingshui.
"What do you plan to do? Humanity's strongest space combat method right now is just intercontinental ballistic missiles with hydrogen warheads, right? You want to launch one?"
Luthor shook his head.
"For ships capable of interstellar long-range travel, human hypersonic missiles would likely struggle to hit them in space. However, their scale shouldn't be large; otherwise, they would have been detected when they reached the edge of the solar system. If they enter the atmosphere, that's humanity's home turf, and we would certainly have the ability to fight.
But only the strongest few among humanity have that capability."
At this, Lex Luthor's gaze fixed on Qingshui.
"Like, you."
Qingshui's gaze was calm.
"You've investigated me. Of course, that's normal. But I'm clearly not supposed to be the most capable person among humans."
Qingshui didn't think he was the tall person meant to hold up the sky if it fell.
"In the past, I certainly didn't think so. In fact, even now, I firmly believe that human evolution is still in a relatively initial stage—fragile lives, weak bodies, short lifespans. But the brain is our most evolved part. I believe in human intelligence because I believe in my own intelligence."
Lex Luthor said with full confidence:
"I believe I am one of the most intelligent people among humans. There's also your Batman. I think he's also top-tier in technology, strategy, and psychology. As for you, Watt, my friend."
"You think I have super intelligence too?"
"You are smarter than most people, and your learning ability is very strong. You have great potential. While you aren't yet among the most intelligent, you surpass the vast majority."
Luthor used a highly diplomatic phrasing.
Qingshui's face darkened.
"Thanks for the encouragement."
Luthor said seriously, "You're welcome."
You're the one who should be saying "you're welcome"!
However, Qingshui knew his own limitations. While his mind was decent, there was still a significant gap between his learning ability, practical skills, and strategic planning compared to someone like Luthor, who was arguably one of the smartest humans.
After all, Luthor was assessed by Brainiac as having Level 9 intellect.
Even though Victor and Cisco were also first-rate scientists, they were still at least a tier below Lex Luthor.
"Watt, you've faced off against both the greatest detective and the most powerful mercenary on this planet, and you haven't lost to either of them. I've always been curious about the energy source and system that powers your armored suit, but that's not the main point. From the very beginning, you've been constantly improving, both in terms of power and technology.
"A few months ago, there was an incident in Central City where a Mechanical Samurai attacked. At the time, The Flash of that city had disappeared, and the new Superhero couldn't stop it. You were the one who piloted your suit and used the Speed Force to resolve it. Can you still unleash that kind of power?"
Lex Luthor asked, looking at Qingshui.
"There are certain limitations," Qingshui replied vaguely.
How could he possibly tell Lex Luthor his actual situation in detail?
"Then that means you can." Luthor stated decisively.
"We're partners, Watt. There's no need to be wary of me. If you can maintain that state, it means you possess the absolute top, possibly even the strongest, individual combat power among humans—at least one of them.
And if we combine that with the pinnacle of human intellect, I believe we can defeat the aliens and prove that humans are superior to them."
Lex Luthor was undeniably a human supremacist.
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